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COMMODORE SHUBEICK 



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HON. A^ PfBUTLER, OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 



DELIVEREB 



IN THE SENATE, MARCH 18, 18B6. 



WAStilMcTON : 

S»klNTED AT THE CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE OFFIC^, 
1§56. 



COMMODOEE SHUBEICK. 



Mr. Houston havin» laid before the Senate a 
5Tiemorial signed unofficially by members of the 
Legislature of Maryland, concerning the action 
of *he late Navy Retiring Board, he addressed 
the Senate; after which, 

Mr. BUTL:<;R said.- Mr. President, I wish to 
jYJake a few remarks entirely explanatory of some 
statements which have been made by the honorable 
Senator from Texas, in relation to a distinguished 
constituent of mine, Commodore Shubrick. I 
shall take but a short time, and I am as willing 
to go OH now as to-morrow morning; but, if it 
will make no difference to the Senate, I shall 
postpone them until to-morrow, because I wish 
to make my remarks in a spirit of perfect calm- 
ness, and 1 desire that they shall go forth as his- 
torical truths, and not be wrapped up in anything 
like a spirit of denunciation or declamation. I 
wish to speak so that what I say will be a plain 
tale, and will put down a great deal that has been 
said on the subject. 

Mr. WELLER. There can be no objection 
to the postponement of this subject until to-mor- 
row, with the understanding that it is not to go 
beyond the morning hour. 

Mr. STUART and others (to Mr. Butler.) 
You had betu r go on now. 

Mr. WELT^ER. I know of nothing that will 
cor\ up to-morrow during the morning hour, 
and lur that reason I move to postpone this ques- 
tion until to-morrow, with the understanding, of 
course, that the question must go over when one 
o'clock arrives, because to-morrow has been as- 
signed for t le deficiency bill, on which I know 
my friend from Virginia [Mr. Hunter] is anx- 
ious to obtain the early action of the Senate. I 
therefore move to postpone this subject until to- 
morrow. 

Mr. CLAYTON. I certainly desire to be 
heard in relation to this matter, and I am quite 
prepared to go on now, if necessary. I have no 
idea of being postponed from day to day after 
what we have heard. 

Mr. BUTLER. As I have the floor, I will 
proceed with my remarks now. 

The PRESIDENT. The Senator from South 
Carolina is entitled to the floor. 



Mr. BUTLER. Mr. President, it is scarcely 
necessary for me to say anything in relation to 
my friend. Commodore Shubrick. The tenor of 
his life, and even the conduct which has been so 
severely animadverted upon by the Senator from 
Texas, will vindicate him. Yet I will state in a 
general proposition that, whatever may have been 
said by Commodore Shubrick, and whatever may 
have been written by him, this fact stands out 
uncontradicted, that, whilst he was in coi^mand 
of the Pacific squadron, he performed his duty tt* 
the satisfaction of his Government; and, although 
he did feel a little stung by what seemed to be 
somewhat of a reflection on him, when the ap- 
peal was made to him, and he was required, by 
the slightest intimation, to perform service, the 
certainty is before the country that he did all the 
fighting. It is a well-known fact, that all the 
naval operations on the Pacific during the Mexi- 
can war (except what had been done by Com- 
modore Stockton before he reached there) were 
conducted by Commodore Shubrick with con- 
summate skill, and with the approbation of the 
Navy Departnient. He did not leave there until 
peace was declared; and he was not superseded 
by Commodore Jones during the war. He posi- 
tively refused, on more than one occasion, to 
leave his station whilst a gun was to be fired. 
No doubt, in the heat of excitement, with a feel- 
ing of just disappointment, the reason for which 
I shall state presently, he may have manifested a 
little resentment; but the soldier's spirit within 
him could not resist the flashing of the guns; 
and where danger and the perils of the contest 
required his service you found Commodore Shu- 
brick. 

Sir, all the operations on the coast of California, 
the actions at Mazatlan at San Jose, and all those 
brilliant movements which have reflected very 
justly high luster on the arms of those engaged 
in them — Du Pont among the number — were con- 
ducted under the judgment and guidance of the 
skill of this very gentleman who has met with 
the denunciation — I will scarcely say denuncia- 
tion — but who has encountered the insinuation 
which has found its way into the speech of the 
honorable Senator from Texas. Yes, sir, it has 



insinuated itself into that speech, and I think I 
could conjecture pretty well the source whence it 
was injected into it. 

Sir, 1 have made very free remarks on this 
board and on the act of Congress under which it 
was organized. I have vent^ired to say that the 
Secretary of the Navy and the President did not, 
in my opinion, discharge their official duties under 
the act itself. On the responsibility of a Senator 
I have said so. I have commented freely on the 
action of the board ; but there must be some limit. 
"Let us be sacrificers, but no butchers, Caius." 

I am not the prosecutor of this board. I do 
not come here to put its members under the pro- 
scription of the ax, or to suffer any insinuation 
to prevent judgment in relation to their conduct, 
much less to make them the subject of senatorial 
censure. 

Now, sir, what are the facts in relation to 
Commodore Shubrick? He was detailed as the 
favorite commander then in the naval service, 
with a certainty upon his mind that he was to be 
the commander of the Pacific Squadron. He left 
Boston in the Independence, with the confident 
conviction that that was the station which had 
been assigned to him by the Secretary of the 
Navy, but with an intimation, merely, that if he 
met with Commodore Biddle on the way, of 
course it would be his duty to report to him. 
Where did he meet Commodore Biddle? It was 
a very contingent thing, entirely accidental. As 
he doubled Cape Horn and approached Valpa- 
raiso, he received, almost accidentally, inform- 
ation that Commodore James Biddle was then in 
that port, entirely ignorant of his being placed in 
command, or of having any duties devolved on 
him. What did Commodore Shubrick do? He 
did what a gallant and honorable man would have 
done. He told him, "I have in my hands oi-ders 
under which I expect to act as commander of 
this squadron, but my duty is to report to you, 
and to say to you that you can take command. 
You have the right to do it." What did Biddle 
say to him? " 1 have had some distant inform- 
ation that dispatches were at Callao; I however 
will leave you to take your command m the 
Pacific ocean upon the coast of California, trust- 
ing perfectly to your discretion and the judgment 
which has been reposed in you by the Govern- 
ment." 

The fact is that he went to Callao, and left 
Commodore Shubrick to go, discipline, organize, 
and take command of that squadron, and make 
arrangements for its success. Biddle afterwards 
went from Callao to Monterey, and then an- 
nounced to him the fact that he had received, at 
Callao, orders to take command of the squadron. 
Shubrick says: " Sir, I am disappointed; I came 
here under the supposition that I was to take 
command, and I feel that there is a little reflection 
on me; I was not distinctly informed of it." And 
then he added: " I fear that, considering our rela^ 
tions, and the feelings we entertain, I may not be 
able to do proper service." They were friends. 
Biddle said: " You had better remain; the public 
service may suffer, and perhaps yourself. " " Cer- 
tainly," said he; " I never compromise where 
the honor of my country is concerned ; my resent- 
ment shall never interfere with the exercise of my 
judgment; sir, I will serve under you." Biddle 



said; "You can go home if you please," "No,"" 
said he; "I will discharge the daties of my post 
as long as I can." Biddle remained in cowimand 
only a very short time. He soon left the com- 
mand, and Shubrick took it. It was during the 
time that he was in command that those brilliant 
achievements, which have been so eloquently 
portrayed, were performed. I think the gentle- 
man from Texas will perhaps adopt "Piggy 
Lob's" notion. When Paul Clifford went to her 
and told her, " I must leave you, my guardian," 
she said, " I have but one piece of advice, Paul, 
to give you; you are going into a troublesome 
world, and I give you this advice: it is of not s» 
much importance what you do, but mind what 
you say, Paul." [Laughter.] That was her 
advice. Q,ui hasret in litera. hccret in cortice. He 
has availed himself of what Commodore Shubrick 
has said, when in the face of the facts stated he 
did all the fighting on the Pacific, or had it done. 
He conducted the operations. He was there until 
the end of the war, and never came home until 
its close. There was not a single ^n fired after 
Commodore Shubrick sailed to the Sandwich 
Islands, and came home at his own instance by 
the acquiesence of the whole country. I think it 
unjust to throw my friend in the shade of the 
contrast with the brilliant achievements of others, 
but I do not detract from the achievements of 
Stockton and Biddle. They came home during 
the war. Shubrick stayed there, complaining 
perhaps, to some extent, of the manner in which 
he had been treated — as he thoug^ht disingen- 
uously; but he stuck to his guns, and where the 
fighting was, he was. His letters are now quoted 
to show that he wished to come home, but he did 
not do it. Now which is best — to talk right or 
to do right? 

I have no doubt the Se-nator from Texas would 
indict a man much sooner for words spoken than 
for overt acts. [Laughter.] He would give him 
his approval for overt acts. Shubrick has per- 
formed nothing wrong. He left here in the Inde- 
pendence, took command, was superseded by 
Biddle, submitted to him; and when Biddle left he 
resumed his command and conducted the opera- 
tions of the war with success, and received the 
approbation of his Government, as will be shown 
by a letter of Secretary Mason in relation to his 
conduct, which I desire to have read. 

The Secretary i-ead as follows: 

"I can only repeat the assurance, which I have before 
!!iven you, that I saw in it nothing derogatory to your pro- 
fessional character. So far as I know, your conduct in that 
Hca has done you honor and added to your reputation, and 
you should not sutler it to give you a tuomcnt's uneasiness. 
By the bearer, who takes this to Mexico with the iutelligence 
that the treaty of peace is ratified with atnendments, tsend 
.in official letter, addressed to Conunodorc Jones or to your- 
self. I have given tlie perniissio-.i, which you asked, to 
serve as seeond to Jones; hut it is not necessary to your own 
character or the honor of the service that you should do so. 
Your official accounts, by Lieutenant Randolph, have been 
received, and reflect the hi^lie>l credit on you and all under 
your command. Rely on it, that those gallant and glorious 
affairs are a brilliant close to your camsnand ; and, after an 
absence of two years, no one can object to your retiring. 

" I would advise that you do not wait longer than to 
learn dcfinituly the disposition of the treaty, but do as you 
please on that score. 

" You have my highest esteem and cordial friendship, 
personally and officially. 

" Your friend, J. Y. MASOIV. 

"Commodore VV. B. Shi'brick, United States ship Iitde- 
jjcndencc, Majzatlan, Mexico.^' 



Mr. BUTLER. March 11th, 1848; the war was 
over then. That was the judgment of the court. 

Mr. HOUSTON. No, sir. 

Mr. BUTLER. You have forgotten dates 
altogether. It is a very dangerous thing for one 
to go before the tribunal of history unless he is 
acquainted with the farts. 

Mr. HOUSTON. Did the Senator say the 
letter was dated in 1847? 

Mr. BUTLER. No, sir; 1848. 

Mr. HOUSTON. I thought it was 1847. 

Mr. BUTLER. So I perceive, and therefore 
I forgive you. 

Mr. HOUSTON. The one which I read was 
in 1847. 

Mr. BUTLER. Well, sir, I will take John 
Y. Mason's judgment, as the organ of the Gov- 
ernment at that time, as the opinion which I 
think will be awarded to Commodore Shubrick 
upon this occasion by the Senate. 

Another allusion has been made, which I am 
sorry was not dwelt upon more, so as to show the 
, TBfhoie truth, because it is a thing which has 
■:^uched his feelings deeply. It has been stated 
HiVpon more than one occasion, that with a view 
' to relieve his brother Irving Shubrick at Rio Ja- 
neiro, he connived at his return to the United 
States, and that by some suggestion of his to the 
commander of the port. Captain Rousseau, Irving 
Shubrick was aUowcd to come home. As the in- 
timation has been made thEftnhe Saratoga came 
home at the suggestion of Commodore Shubrick, 
I will state the facts in the spirit of a witness, as 
far as I have been able to learn them. Commo- 
dore Shubrick sailed from Boston in the Independ- 
ence. He was at Rio Janeiro when his brother 
Irving Shubrick came into port in distress — his 
vessel crippled. He had been out attempting to 
go round Cape Horn. He had been out sixty- 
four day.s, the wind blowing a hurricane during 
the time. He was in dreadful health, in conse- 
quence of a disease which killed him* in a year 
afterwards. When Commodore Shubrick heard 
of his return, at first it produced some surprise, 
and he suggested a survey of the ship. Com- 
modore Rousseau said to him: " I prefer that 
you should \indertake this delicate office. " Com- 
modore Shubrick was very much disinclined to 
the office, considering the relation which he bore 
to one of the officers; biU he said, " as the Colum- 
bia and the Saratoga have been in your port, and 
as I learn from you there has been no very good 
understanding between the officers, perhaps 1 shall 
discharge a duty to the public service by select- 
ing officers whom I am inclined to think entirely 
impartial, or who have inclinations ralheragainst 
the Saratoga."- He detailed from his ship the offi- 
cers whose names I will read, and I have no doubt 
their names will be to the Senate a guarantee for 
their character. The officers whom he detailed, 
were Captain Lavalette, of the Independence, his 
own ship; Captain Ritchie and Lieutenant Mar- 
shall, of the Columbia; and Lieutenants Page and 
Chattard, of the Independence, with carpenters, 
sail-makers, and all other persons necessary to 
make such a survey. The survey was made. 
Captain Ritchie suggested that he could take the 
ship round. It was reported that she might pos- 
sibly be carried round Cape Horn; but Commo- 
dore Shubrick said, " I must let that office devolve 
on you, Commodore Rousseau; I must pursue 



my voyage; I leave the ship in your charge; you 
must take the responsibility under your original 
instructions." Rousseau looked at the ship and 
said that he did not believe she should go round 
Cape Horn, because it would be a useless and 
unnecessary expense; for after she got into the 
Pacific she" could perform no service, and he or- 
dered her home. And now, after these facts, is 
the reproach to be put upon Commodore Shu- 
brick that he wished to .save his brother? Not at 
all; the idea did not enter into his mind. He 
pronounced no judgment on the sul)ject; he left it 
to others. He merely ordered the styrvey to be 
made. After the survey was made. Captain 
Rousseau submitted the vessel to a further inspec- 
tion, and said the ship should not go round Cape 
Horn, and he ordered it home — I have no doubt 
very judiciously. When the ship had been out 
sixty-fourdays under a wind blowing a hurricane, 
it would have been imprudent and injurious to 
yield to the suggestion of Captain Ritchie. He 
was a man of spirit and pride, willing, probably, 
to encounter any hazard. 

I know that reproach has been cast upon Com- 
mander Irving Shubrick. Sir, he was raised in 
the same school that I was; and I venture to say 
that you may take the opinion of naval officers 
acquainted with him, and there will be a remark- 
able concurrence of opinion as to his merits. He 
died very soon after this transaction, ofadiiSvase 
which he thoi had. 

It is very remarkable that wherever distin- 
guished service has been required of the most 
eminent officers of the Navy, Commodore Wil- 
liam B. Shubrick has been selected to perform the 
most delicate functions. He was selected to go to 
the fishery grounds during the dispute as to th^t 
question, to conduct, in some measure, the nego*- 
tiations, as well as to command the fleet; and he 
did so to the satisfaction of everybody. But even 
after all these things, he has incurred the military 
criticism of the Senator from Texas. 

The fact is clear, that Commodore Shubrick 
conducted the operations of the war on the Pa- 
cific, in spite of all that has been said about his 
letters. He performed the duties of a subordin- 
ate while Biddlc -was there; he assumed the 
command when Biddle left; and he conducted the 
war to its termination, and then he came home, 
with the approbation of his Government, and was 
detailed, on the first occasion requiring it, for the 
most delicate and difficult service which could be 
required in the Navy of the United States. 

I will say, now, that Commodore Shubrick 
was opposed to this law; I have said it before. 
I do not say that the board have administered 
their duties, even within the sphere prescribed 
to them by the law. I have given my views on 
that subject and Commodore Shubrick and all 
others have to take them right and left. I did 
not approve the law, nor do I believe the pro- 
ceedings have conformed to it; but there are more 
persons to blame than Commodore Shubrick. 
He stands now vindicated from every charge 
which has been made against him by the Senator 
from Texas, except that he was disappointed in 
finding the order for Biddle to take command, 
when he went there with the confident belief that 
he was to command the Pacific squadron. That 
is the head and front of his oflTending. Is he the 
only military or naval man who has intimated a 



disposition to withdraw, when he thought injus- 
tice was done to him ? Why, sir, I<ord Welling- 
ton, while engaged in the Peninsular war, when 
older officers were sent to take charge, went out 
to shoot partridges, and would not do anything 
until they left. The gallant Henry Lee — " Harry 
the horseman" — quit the service when some re- 
flection was thrown on him, and some intimation 
given to him that he was to be put in a subordin- 
ate position; but is he to be deprived of his lau- 
rels for that? Is this the first instance in which 
a military man has consultedihe suggestions of 
his pride? Sir, in spite of these suggestions, 
Shubrick did his duty, and he stands in need of 
no further eulogy than the opinion pronounced 
by his own Government and the employments in 
which he has been engaged. 

Mr. President, William Branford Shubrick has 
passed through trying, responsible, and perilous 
scenes in honorable service, and has acquired a 
reputation not likely to be touched by the assaults 
of transient injustice. In the battle between the 
Constitution and the Levant and Cyane, he acted 
no ordinary part; he won laurels, and was placed 
by his distinguished commander on board one of 
the captured vessels. The gifted Cooper, his 
comrade, has paid him a tribute of which any 
man might justly be proud. 

And now, to sustain and verify what I have 
said, I submit the following statementof facts and 
dates as to Commodore Shubrick 's eruise to the 
Pacific:' 

On the 13th of May, 1846, the President by 

Eroclamation declared that a state of war existed 
etween the United States and Mexico. On the 
14th of May, 1846, Commodore Shubrick ad- 
dressed an official letter to the Secretary of the 
Navy, in which he expressed his " wish to be em- 
ployed in any way in tcliich it may be deemed by the 
Department that I can render the best service to my 
country in. this emergency." He had recently been 
appointed to, and was then in command of, the 
navy-yard in Washington. 

A few days afterwards the Secretary sent him 
word by the late Commodore Morris, that he was 
desirous that he should go to the Pacific to take 
command of the squadron; and he immediately 
signified through the same channel his readiness 
for that service. 

On the 16th of May, 1846, the Secretary wrote 
to Commodore Biddle, then in the East Indies, as 
follows : 

" Commodore : A state of war has been declared l)y Con- 
gress to exist between the United States and the Kfpublic 
of Mexieo. You will, therefore, with all possible dispatch, 
appear with the sqnadron under your command olT Cali- 
fornia, and talto ooniinand of the Pacific squadron. Com- 
modore f<lo:U or his successor will coniniunicate to you the 
orders of tliis Ucpartiiicnt, which you will use your utmost 
exertions to carry into effect." 

On the 1st of June, 1846, the same Secretary 
writes to Commodore Shubrick as follows: 

" Commodore : You will hold yourself in readiness to 
proceed in the United States ship Independence, to the 
Pacific for the command of the United States naval forces 
on that station." 

On the 9th of July, 1846, the same Secretary 
writes to Commodore Shubrick as follows: 

"Commodore: You are hereby appointed to the com- 
mand of the United States naval forces in the Pacific ocean, 
to relieve Commodore John 11. Sloat." 

On the 1st of August, having been informed 
that the ship intended for his pennant was in n 



state of some forwardness, he resigned the com- 
mand of the navy-yard, and on the 3d of August 
left the city for Boston. 

On the lUth of August, 1846, he hoisted his pen- 
nant on the Independence, the ship in an unfin- 
ished state, with carpenters at work on board, 
and a new crew just transferred. 

On the 29th of August, 1846, at five, p. m., he 
reported the ship outside of Boston Light. 

On the evening of the 20th of October he arrived 
at Rio de Janeiro, and sailed from that port on ' 
the 29th, after having obtained the necessary sup- 
plies for the ship. 

On the 2d of December, 1846, he arrived at Val- 
paraiso, after the almost unprecedented short pas- 
sage of thirty-three days around Cape Horn. 

At Valparaiso he met Commodore Biddle, both 
of them having arrived on the same day: Biddle 
from the East Indies. 

Commodore Biddle informed him that private 
letters from his friends in the United States in- 
formed him that he was ordered to take-command 
of the Pacific squadron — that he found no dis- 
patches for him at Valparaiso; but the consul in- 
formed him that there were dispatches for him at 
Callao, and that he should go to that port for them 
as soon as he had refreshed his crew after their 
long passage from China. Commodore Biddle 
was unwilling to go to California, and told Com- 
modore Shubrick that if his orders left any dis- 
cretion with him, he should go homo, but if they 
should be positive, he should come down and 
assume the command. 

Commodore Shubrick sailed from Valparaiso 
on the 14th of December, and anchored at Mon- 
terey, in California, on the 22d, having made the 
passage from Boston, including all stoppages, in 
one hundi-ed and forty-six days — a very unusual 
expedition. He imm-ediately took command, and 
proceeded to organize the forces which he sup- 
posed were to be under his command. 

On the 2d of January, 1847, Commodore Bid- 
dle arrived at Monterey, in the Columbus, and 
sent to Shubrick a copy of his orders quoted 
above, dated 16th May, 1846, in which he was 
directed to take command of the squadron, and 
informed him at the same time that he should 
.remain during the war. 

I Smarting under this disappointment, and what 
! he considered the uncandid conduct of the Secre- 
I tary, he asked Commodore Biddle to allow him 
to return to the United States in the frigate Sa- 
vannah, then about to leave the squadron; but on 
Biddle expressing his opinion tkat his doing so 
" would be injurious to the public service," 
though he left it to his option to stay or return, 
\ he immediately determined to remain, as will 
appear by their correspondence. He sacrificed 
his private feelings for what he considered the 
good of the " public service." 
! He had written an unofficial letter to the Sec- 
' retary in relation to the arrangements of the 
'. squadron, in which he spoke of permission to re- 
turn in the Congress frigate, after a cruise of two 
years. This letter cannot be found, and there is 
no copy of it; but alluding to that, the Secretary, 
in hisletterof the 7th of May, 1847, says: "Your 
n^quest is not unreasonable; it is granted." 

1 will remark, that Commodore Stockton had 
a similar permission " to remain in the squadron 
wearing a red pennant," yet he returned in tho 



midst of the war, overland. No one dreams of' 
censuring that gallant officer for doing so. i 

Comniodoro Biddle had permission to use "his 
disci'etinn," yet he returned in the midst of the ! 
War. Does any one dream of censuring that dis- 
tinguished officer for so doing? Commodore 
Shubrick continued to act under the orders of 
Commodore Biddle, wearing a red pennant. 

On the 17th of April he was sent to blockade 
Mazatlan, where he continued until the beginning 
of June, when he was recalled to California by 
Commodore Biddle, who informed him of his in- 
tention to I'eturn to the United States. 

On the 15th of June he informed the Depart- 
ment of his plan ofoperations for taking possession 
of the ports on the west coast of Mexico, which 
was approved, though he did not receive the 
approval until the plan had been executed as far 
as the force under his command would justify, 
and with which the Department was well pleased. 

On the 19th of July, 1847, Commodore Biddle 
ti-ansferred the command of the Pacific squadron 
again to Commodore Shubrick, and sailed in a 
few days thereafter for the United States. 

On resuming the command of the squadron he 
(Commodore Shubrick) immediately prepared for 
operations on the west coast of Mexico, where 
nothing, as yet, had been done, except a feeble 
attempt at blockade. 

Having obtained a supply of small arms from 
Governor Mason, with a view to operations on 
shore, and having drilled the seamen of the squad- 
ron thoroughly in theiruse. Commodore Shubrick, 
on the 16th of August, directed Captain Lavallette 
to proceed to the Gulf of California with the 
Congress, under his command, and the sloop of 
war Portsmouth, Commander Montgomery, to 
commence operations at Guymas, and to meet 
him oft' Cape St. Lucas for the more important 
operations at Mazatlan. 

Having made the necessary arrangements with 
Governor Mason for the security of Upper Cali- 
fornia, and left a sloop of war there for his use, 
as will appear by their correspondence, he sailed 
from Monterey on the 16th of October, 1847, with 
the Cyane, Commander Du Pont, in company, 
the Southampton, Lieutenant-commanding Tho- 
burn, having been sent up to San Francisco for 
some munitions of war required for operations on 
the coast of Mexico. 

On the 27th October he reached Cape San Lu- 
cas, and early in the morning of the 29th wfts 
joined by the Congress. Captain Lavallette had 
taken possession of Guymas in a very handsome 
manner, and left a sloop of war to hold it. Direc- 
tions were given to collect duties under the tariff" 
of 3d April, 1847. 

The town of San Jose had been taken posses- 
sion of by order of Commodore Stockton, and 
the American flag hoisted; butas he could leave no 
force for its protection the Mexican flag had been 
again hoisted. He was detained here a few days, 
making arrangements for holding San Jose, the 
commercial mart of Lower California and a place 
of resort for our whale ships. While here he 
sent an expedition to the town of Todos Santos, 
under Lieutenant M. Lewis, to quiet a hostile 
feeling to our flag at that place, and to encourage 
our friends. 

Having provided for the security of San Jose, 
by leaving there a detachment of seamen and ma- 



rines, under the command of the g'allant Hey- 
ward, which led to the brilliant results so Well 
known to the public, and having ordered the col- 
lection of duties under the tariff of 3d April, 1847, 
he proceeded with the Congress and Cyane in 
company to Mazatlan. 

The details of the capture of Mazatlan are well 
known to the country; the official reportof it will 
be found in the documents which accompany the 
President's message to Congress of December, 
1848; they will befound not discreditable to the 
arms and honor of the country. This city, the 
great commercial mart of the west coast of Mex- 
ico, was taken in the face of a vastly superior 
force, advantageously posted, and wars held under 
like circumstances to the close of the War; a cus- 
tom-house was established, a collector appointed, 
and duties to the amount of more than a quarter 
of a million of dollars collected, by which the ex- 
penses of the squadron were paid, ($75,000 sent to 
Governor Mason,) and a considerable sum turned 
over to his successor. 

The towns of San Bias and Manzanillo were 
also taken and held by the force under his com- 
mand; the former is the seaport of the large and 
important city of Topic. 

Not a Mcx'ican gun v/as left mounted on the 
coast from San Jose to Acapulco. It was his in- 
tention to have taken the last-named place also, 
but an insurrection against our authority break- 
: ing out in Lower California, he was obliged t» 
detach a part of his force to the aid of Lieutenant 
Heyward, and to the support of Lieutenant Col- 
onel Burton at La Paz, and he could not go to. 
! Acapulco without danger of losing what lie had 
! already acquired. These places were all held 
: until after the preliminaries of peace had been 
; signed. 

Commodore Jones arrived at Mazatlan on the 
I 8th May, 1848, and assumed the command of the 
squadron; and, though Commodore Shubrick 
i had permission to return either in a ship or across 
I the Isthmus, he volunteered to render to his suc- 
' cessor any service in his power. On consulta- 
tion between them, it was thought that it would 
be beneficial to our commerce that a ship of war 
should visit the principal islands in the Pacific 
ocean. Accordingly, Commodore Shubrick sailed 
from Mazatlan on the 22d July, 1848, visited in 
succession the Sandwich Islands, the Marquesas, 
! and the Society Islands, and returned by the way 
j of Callao and Valparaiso to the United States, and 
arrived at Norfolk on the 22nd of May, 1849, 
having been absent from the United States three 
years, less three months and seven days. 

If there is any lack of zeal for the public service 
i in all this, I must be pardoned for saying that I 
j cannot see it. 

If it was wrong to ask to be relieved from the 
unpleasant situation in which the Secretary of the 
Navy had placed him, it was surely most amply 
redeemed by subsequent services. Besides 

" Who can be wise and amazed, temperate and furious, 
Loyal and neutral, in a moment .' No man." 

The estimation in which this officer has been 
held by the Department under successive Secre- 
taries, is emphatically shown by the various im- 
portant appointments conferred on him by them: 

The offer of the command of the exploring 
expedition by Secretary Dickerson, which cir- 
cumstances obliged him to decline. 



8 



The command of the West India squadron by 
Secretary Paulding. 

Tlie command of the navy-yard at Norfolk, 
by Secretary Pauldinp;. 

Chief of Bureau of Provisions and Clothing by 
Secretary Hcnshaw. 

The command of the Washington navy-yard, 
by Secretary Bancroft. 

The command of the Pacific squadron, by Sec- 
retary Bancroft. 

After his return from the Pacific: 

The command of tlic Philadelphia navy-yard, 
by Secretary Preston. 

"Chief of Bureau of Construction and Equip- 
ment, by Secretary Graham. 

A member of the Light-House Board on appli- 
cation of Secretary Corwin, by Secretary Gra- 
ham, and the unanimous election as their chair- 
man by that enlightened board. 

The appointment to command the eastern 
squadron at a critical moment, by Secretary 
Dobbin. 

The appointment as senior officer of the board 
convened under the act to promote the efficiency 
of the Navy, l^y Secretary Dobbin. 

Besides various incidental but important duties 
proper to his rank, such as a commission to 
examine the harbor of New York by Secretary 
Upshcr, with a view to a change in the locality of 
the navy-yard at Brooklyn; boards for making 
regulations for the Navy, and for the academy at 
Annapolis; inspections of ordnance, &c., &c. 

Of hi§ earlier services, running back for nearly 
fifty years: 

The attack on a British frigate by gun-boats, 
one of which he commanded. 

The successful defense of Craney Island against 
a vastly superior force, on which occasion he 
commanded a gun. 

The two brilliant cruises of the Constitution, 
in which he served a part of the time as third 
lieutenant, and a part of the time as first lieuten- 
ant; and during which three British vessels of 
war were captured, and the splendid action with 
the Cyanc and Levant fought, and " old Iron- 
sides " saved twice from being brought to ac- 
tion by vastly superior forces of the enemy, by 
great skill on t\w })art of her commander, and 
corresponding exertions on the part of her officers 
and crew: on the last of these occasions, the 
escape from two ships of the line and a frigate, 
Shui^rick was second in command to the able and 
distinguished Stewart. 

To this statement I will add two letters, ad- 
dressed by the Secretary of the Navy to Commo- 
dore Shubrick,and two extracts from the reports 
of Secretary Mason and Secretary Preston, to 
which I will not add a word of comment: 

Navy Department, July 1, I&jS. 

My dear Sir: The act of the last Congress, providing 



that from and after the first day of July niwt, the chief of 
tlie Bureau of Construction, E<iilipnieiit, and Repair shall be- 
a naval constructor, and not a captain in the Navy, makes it 
the duty of the President to relieve you from your present 
position, and appoint a successor. 

In parting vvitli you, Commodore, allow me to assure you, 
that to me our official and personal intercourse has been 
most agreeable. For fidelitv, integriiy, and business capa- 
city, you need no tcnimoniiil from me. Your well-earned 
reputation is sufficient to dispense with formal testimonials. 
But I trust it cannot he otherwise than agreeable to your 
feelings, if not your pride of character, to accept a heartfelt 
trihute of confidence from one who, since his connection 
with the Navy Department, has ever found you faithful, 
able, and prompt. 

You have my best wishes, Commodore, for y(mr future 
happiness; and that you may continue to add to the reputa- 
tion of our gallant N.avy, with which you have been so long 
and so honorably connected. 

I am very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

J. C. DOBBIN. 
Commodore W. B. Shubrick, Chief of Bureau of Con- 

slruciion, Equipment, <^c. 

Navy Department, Scpfemher 34, 1853. 

Sir: Your communication of tiie'33d instant, announcii 
the arrival at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, of the caste.., 
squadron under your command, and that you had directtrd 
your pennant to be struck at meridia'ii of that day, has been 
received. '• 

The Department approves of your course, and directs 
that you proceed to Washington, and resume your duties as 
a member of the Light-house Board. ^ 

Your account of the movements of the squadron und 
your command has been perused with inueli satisfacti" 
The promptness, energy, and cheerful zeal exhibited ' , 
yourself, and all under your command, reflect credit upiu 
the service, and entitle you to the commendation of your 
Government. 

Our countrymen who venture so much in the region yon 
have visited cannot but have been gratified at the signifi- 
cant exhibition of a determination to protect them in tin; 
enjoyment of their rights. 

in examining the charts marking out the cruising of t 
Princeton, the Fulton, the Cyane, and the Decatur, t 
Department was struck with the amount of service n 
dered, as well as the good judgment exercised in execuii 
it. Be pleased to communicate to the officers of the rcspe 
ive vessels constituting the squadron, the approbation ai 
admiration with which their conduct is viewed by the 1 
partment. 

I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, 

J.C.DOBBIN. 
Commodore William B. Shubrick, Commanding Eastern 

Squadron, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 

Extract from the Report of Secretary Mason, December 4, 
1848. Ex. Doc. No. l,"p. 608. 
" All the important points on both shores of the Gulf of 
California were gallantly captured by the squadron, in co- 
operation with a detachment of the army under Lieutenant 
Colonel Burton, and occupied until the return of peace. 
Commodore Shubrick found bis force too small to attempt 
the reduction of Acapulco, without so weakening the gar- 
risons of the important places held in the Gulf as to endan- 
ger their recapture, and wisely determined not to make any 
movement against it." 



Extract from' the Report of Secretary Preston, Decemher 1, 
1849. Ex. Doc. No. 5, p. 42,5. 
"The razee [ndepcndence, bearing the broad pennant of 
Commodore Shubrick, returned from the Pacific ocean on 
the 2t)th of July last, after distinguished and important ser- 
vice in the war with Mexico." 



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